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  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet environmental groups and specialists in the field to discuss the trade of legal hardwood timber and associated environmental concerns.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra recently hosted a stakeholder event on the European Timber Regulation and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Regulations, at which Lord de Mauley met interested parties, including several NGOs. Next month he will be speaking at a launch event for WWF’s major upcoming timber campaign, which will be another chance to engage directly with a range of interested parties.

    As responsible minister, Lord de Mauley would be happy to consider any invitations to meetings on this subject.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will assess the potential changes in levels of marine animals and aquatic life on UK beaches and coasts as a result of climate change and a consequent effect on levels of tourism.

    George Eustice

    Defra has in place monitoring to inform our understanding of the conservation status of certain marine habitats and species, much of which is in response to EU legislation. We also continue to support the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership which brings together scientists, government, its agencies and NGOs to provide co-ordinated advice on climate change impacts around our coast and in our seas. Further, we have recently consulted on proposals for monitoring the state of the marine environment, including marine animals, under the provisions of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. We will be publishing our response to that consultation shortly.

    Defra currently has no plans to specifically assess the impact of potential changes in populations of marine animals as a result of climate change on levels of tourism. However, where appropriate, Government impact assessments include consideration of the economic impacts of policies in the marine environment on tourism.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will assess the chance of a possible increase in shark numbers in and near UK waters as a result of climate change.

    George Eustice

    Defra continues to collect data on the distribution and abundance of sharks through dedicated fisheries surveys. This and all other relevant information will contribute to future assessments of the state of UK seas and our progress towards achieving Good Environmental Status as required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Such assessments will take into account climate change.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail price of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    No formal assessment has been made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail prices of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

    Retail fuel prices are determined by the demand and supply fundamentals in local areas. Prices will reflect the underlying cost of crude oil, the process to refine it and transport it so that it is available for consumption at the pump.

    Variations in prices are determined by changes in supply and demand factors both for crude oil and for individual products.

    On 5 September 2012, the OFT launched a call for information (CFI) to investigate claims that the UK petrol and diesel sectors are not working well. In their January 2013 report they concluded that:

    “Overall, on the basis of the evidence collected, it appears that competition in the UK road fuels sector is working relatively effectively”.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2013, Official Report, column 235W, on billing, what the value was of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department’s audit; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The Department’s spend recovery audit contractor has identified a small number of duplicate payments (excluding Executive Agencies). In 2012/13 there were 12 duplicate payments and in 2013/14 there was one. Any duplicate payments that have been identified and already recovered in previous years would not have been picked up in this audit.

    The value of these duplicate payments is £110,527 over the five years audited. The audit was completed in April 2014 and we have recovered £40,256 (36%) of the total amount, with the remainder being subject to an ongoing recovery process by the contractor. We expect the contractor to pursue the remaining recovery action quickly.

    In addition to the recovery work currently being undertaken, the Department has brought in other measures to minimise the risk of duplicate payments. From August 2013, arrangements for grants payments are dealt with by a central grants payment team. More recently, we have implemented the use of a unique reference number (URN) to reduce the risk of inaccurate grant payments and improve management information. The Department also ensures that finance guidance is updated as appropriate to ensure risks are minimised and we have regular discussions with our shared service provider about continuous improvements, which includes measures such as routine supplier data cleansing and clear protocols.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance he has given education authorities, free schools and academies on maternity pay for staff transferring schools during pregnancy.

    Mr David Laws

    Maternity Pay arrangements for most teachers transferring schools are set out in ‘Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales’ and wider employment legislation. Similar arrangements are determined by the ‘National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service’ for school support staff employed by local authorities. Academies and free schools are not bound by these arrangements but are free to adopt them for their staff if they choose to do so.

  • Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Diane Abbott on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality and increase the uptake of foreign language training in schools; and if he will make a statement.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The new national curriculum introduces the teaching of a foreign language to key stage 2 (ages 7 to 11) from September 2014, which will increase the uptake of foreign languages in both primary and, over time, secondary schools. By starting languages earlier, pupils will have longer to develop their skills to a high level before continuing with language learning in secondary school. The English Baccalaureate is already encouraging more young people to take a language at GCSE level. Take up by key stage 4 pupils in England of a modern foreign language increased by over 20% between 2012 and 2013.

    The Department for Education believes it is important to give teachers the flexibility to decide how to teach. We expect schools to identify the support that they need to prepare for the new curriculum, recognising that different schools will face different challenges.

    We are allocating £350,000 this year to fund training on the new national curriculum for teachers of modern foreign languages in primary and secondary schools. We have also allocated some £1.9m to teaching schools to lead curriculum change across and within their teaching school alliances. 46 of the projects being supported involve languages.

    The independent Expert Group, chaired by a leading primary headteacher, has published links to useful resources, which are hosted on the website of the Association for Language Learning. This is specifically to support the introduction of a compulsory foreign language at key stage 2. We are also making extensive use of social networking, including using high profile headteachers and others to raise the profile of the new curriculum, including for languages, through podcasts, webchats and blogs.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Fabian Hamilton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the use of drones originating at (a) USAF Croughton, (b) RAF Marham, (c) NSA Menwith Hill and (d) RAF Waddington; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The UK’s Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) are remotely operated from RAF Waddington. The US does not operate RPAS from the UK.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Fabian Hamilton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements his Department has made with the US administration on control of the base at NSA Menwith Hill.

    Mr Mark Francois

    RAF Menwith Hill is made available to the United States under the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement. The Ministry of Defence retains ownership of the base and operations are carried out with the full knowledge and consent of the UK Government.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many establishments deregistered for the purposes of carrying out marriages in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

    Karen Bradley

    The General Register Office (GRO) for England and Wales is responsible for
    maintaining the list of religious buildings registered for marriage.

    The number of cancellations made for registered buildings for 2012 was 211,
    2013 – 180 and for 2014 (up to 25 June) is 106.